Monday, October 01, 2007

NBC to Re-imagine "Knight Rider" & "Robinson Crusoe"

Following the success of Sci-Fi Channel's "BattlestarGalactica" (NBC's sister cable network) as well as encouraging premiere ratings for "The Bionic Woman," new NBC boss Ben Silverman has decided to greenlight two new projects tapping into classic (meaning: pre-sold) stories of "Knight Rider" and "Robinson Crusoe."

"Knight Rider" will be a made-for-TV movie which will also serve as a backdoor pilot for a new series if the ratings are good enough.

The show’s iconic talking car KITT will get a special effects makeover as it takes on Transformer-inspired "shape-shifting" evil cars. Producers consulted major car firms to create a new state-of-the-art machine.

The network has also ordered a 13-episode series based on the classic Daniel Defoe tale of "Robinson Crusoe" which will be produced by a British company.

"Crusoe" will be a high-end project with the budget of $35 million, but it will cost NBC only $10 million, as the rest will be covered by a British partner.

This way NBC gets a 13-episode high-end series for the price of a good pilot ("LOST" pilot, for example, cost ABC $10-12 million to produce).

The principal character will be played by a British actor and the filming is expected to take place in Australia.

Although set in the 18th century, "Crusoe" will be re-imagined with a 21st century take on race relations and a MacGyver-like character who will be making handy tools and devices out of common items.

Will these shows copy the success of "BattlestarGalactica" or turn into a disaster like "Flash Gordon"?